Dane Lewis – Page 4 – River's Edge Community Church

About Dane Lewis

This author has not yet filled in any details.
So far Dane Lewis has created 794 blog entries.

Christmas Begins with Things That Don’t Fit

Christmas Begins with Things That Don’t Fit

The Christmas story is a funny story. For all eternity, God had been planning on sending his Son into the world to save fallen humanity; and yet when we read the story, it seems rather poorly planned (at least, according to what I would have done). Think about. You have shepherds welcoming the Messiah! Shepherds weren’t high on anyone’s social registry. If you thought the shepherds were out of place, wait until you see the magi! They were gentile astrologers. They just did not belong. There was also this major celestial event—a star! And yet, nobody seemed to pay any attention to it except for those pagan astrologers. All Jerusalem certainly wasn’t breaking out their telescopes and wondering what it could mean. And when the magi come into Jerusalem to ask for directions, no one accompanies them to see for themselves this one born king of the Jews. And Bethlehem

An Incarnation of Love

An Incarnation of Love

This sermon is based on Isaiah 7:10-17. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: We always have Christmas to look forward to. No matter where we are in the calendar, Christmas is always just a few months away. But we are blessed. The people before Christmas came to earth didn’t have any such hope. Instead, their lives were filled with misery and pain, waiting and longing, anxiety and heaviness. But that first Christmas changed all of that. Not only because it inaugurated the Kingdom of God. Not only because it welcomed the king. Not only because it proclaimed that God was with us, but because it was an incarnation of hope. And hope changes everything.

Christmas Begins with an Image

Christmas Begins with an Image

There are two people. He’s debonaire with a trench coat and a fedora. She’s beautiful with incredibly deep eyes. They are standing face-to-face. A haze engulfs them. It is obvious that they love each other because the scene drips with emotion, but there is also sadness in the air. And while she is also wearing a hat, it is his hat that draws our attention. And rightly so, because it is the iconic take-away for this actor and for this movie. But you already know which movie I am talking about. You correctly identified “The Sound of Music” and “Jaws.” And now you are three for three. He is Humphrey Bogart. She is Ingrid Bergman. And the movie is none other than “Casablanca.” How did you know this movie? Because iconic moments stick with us. I would like to argue that the first Christmas was an iconic moment. I would

An Incarnation of Wonder

An Incarnation of Wonder

This sermon is based on Isaiah 29:13-16. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: We always have Christmas to look forward to. No matter where we are in the calendar, Christmas is always just a few months away. But we are blessed. The people before Christmas came to earth didn’t have any such hope. Instead, their lives were filled with misery and pain, waiting and longing, anxiety and heaviness. But that first Christmas changed all of that. Not only because it inaugurated the Kingdom of God. Not only because it welcomed the king. Not only because it proclaimed that God was with us, but because it was an incarnation of hope. And hope changes everything.

Christmas Begins Before the Beginning

Christmas Begins Before the Beginning

When did Christmas begin? Most people would say that Christmas began roughly 2,025 years ago on a cool winter’s December night. And yet, that can’t be right. See, shepherds didn’t pasture their sheep at night during the winter months. That only happened when it was warmer; like in the spring, summer or early autumn. And that means that the first Christmas was most likely on a warm, spring April/May night. And to make things even more complicated, Jesus wasn’t even born in the first year of the new calendar. Now, we can blame a Scythian Monk named Dionysius for that. Dionysius wanted to honor the birth of Jesus by splitting time in half. He wanted the time before Jesus was born to be called “BC” and the time after his birth to receive an “AD” suffix with Jesus’ birth right in the middle. But Dionysius miscalculated the date of Jesus’

An Incarnation of Peace

An Incarnation of Peace

This sermon is based on Isaiah 59:1-3, 7-8. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: We always have Christmas to look forward to. No matter where we are in the calendar, Christmas is always just a few months away. But we are blessed. The people before Christmas came to earth didn’t have any such hope. Instead, their lives were filled with misery and pain, waiting and longing, anxiety and heaviness. But that first Christmas changed all of that. Not only because it inaugurated the Kingdom of God. Not only because it welcomed the king. Not only because it proclaimed that God was with us, but because it was an incarnation of hope. And hope changes everything.

Christmas Begins with Longing

Christmas Begins with Longing

When does Christmas begin? We have good friends whose son believes that Christmas can only begin if there is snow on the ground. Every night in December, he prays for snow. We know others who believe that Christmas can only begin once the tree is up and decorated. And I know of parents who would argue that Christmas cannot begin until both parents are up and have a cup of coffee in their hand. When does Christmas begin? I would like to argue that Christmas actually begins with a longing, a hunger for something so big that it sets you on a journey to find it. Sometimes that longing is love. Sometimes it is peace. Sometimes it is a hunger for meaning and significance. And sometimes it’s a craving for joy. These are the longings of Christmas, desires buried deep in our hearts that call us to discover what life

An Incarnation of Hope

An Incarnation of Hope

This sermon is based on Isaiah 40:27-31. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: We always have Christmas to look forward to. No matter where we are in the calendar, Christmas is always just a few months away. But we are blessed. The people before Christmas came to earth didn’t have any such hope. Instead, their lives were filled with misery and pain, waiting and longing, anxiety and heaviness. But that first Christmas changed all of that. Not only because it inaugurated the Kingdom of God. Not only because it welcomed the king. Not only because it proclaimed that God was with us, but because it was an incarnation of hope. And hope changes everything.

Thanksgiving 2025

Thanksgiving 2025

Everyone loves beautiful things. We hang beautiful things on our walls. We go to art museums and let the art carry us away to beautiful and extraordinary places. We wear beautiful jewelry around our necks and fingers and wrists and hang it from our ears. We gravitate toward beautiful landscapes and scenic locations. Everyone loves beauty. We even love beautiful theology—truths that move us, words that grip us, concepts that free us and then carry us away. The Nicene Creed is beautiful theology. It is present from start to finish as it flows through the magnificence of our faith. But three lines, in particular, stand out as being composed with beauty and grace. Here, we see the composers of the Creed take a complex and once-contested doctrine—who is Jesus?—and make it absolutely beautiful. These eleven words have always captured my heart and my imagination. God from God, Light from Light,

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving

This sermon is based on Luke 17:11-19. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A

“Be Like Jesus”

“Be Like Jesus”

“The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” (Luke 6:40) I’m sure you remember the old schoolyard scam. You tell someone they have discovered a magic lamp and the genie has offered to give them three wishes. “What do you wish for?” you ask innocently enough. They think for a minute and then respond with their best answers. “I would wish for 10 million dollars, a sexy new sportscar and the ability to get a date.” You smile. They have fallen into your trap. Now, it is your turn to show them just how much wiser and more astute you are than they could ever hope to be. You say, “What an idiot! I would ask for 20 million dollars, five sexy new sportscars and three more wishes!” Hilarity ensues as you walk away feeling so superior while they look

Stand Out and Stand Firm

Stand Out and Stand Firm

This sermon is based on Matthew 5:14-16. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”

“Mission”

“Mission”

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Even as a kid, it always struck me as odd. You have a super-spy organization, but they have a ridiculous name (the Impossible Mission Force). Worse, they are involved in top-, top-secret missions, but they don’t have a secure office. Instead, they meet in an apartment so that their neighbors can hear what they are up to. The agents are only part-time; and since their other careers are well-known (actors, athletes and models), you would think that someone might recognize them when they were on a job (but luckily, they never do!). And top-secret missions were delivered, not by a real person or even a secure FedEx envelope, but by audio-cassettes, phonograph

Standing Out with the Church

Standing Out with the Church

This sermon is based on Acts 2:42-47. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”

“Dogged Tenacity”

“Dogged Tenacity”

Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) It is one of Woody Allen’s most famous quotes. He said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Now, I guess you can dismiss that quote by questioning how wise Woody Allen is. After all, he is just a film maker. Worse, he hasn’t made a good movie in years. But be that as it may, there are many other people who have argued for a similar point, people like Stephen Hawking (“Half the battle is just showing up.”), business guru Harvey MacKay (“You can beat 80% of the competition just by showing up.”), American entrepreneur Paul Budnitz (“Success is an accident. Showing up, even if it is just for five minutes, makes us accident-prone.”) and the actor Peter Gallagher (“To stay on the map, you’ve

Standing Out with All Your Heart

Standing Out with All Your Heart

This sermon is based on Romans 10:9-13. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”

“Suffering”

“Suffering”

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21) There are a lot of sayings about suffering; most of them, I’ve never heard of before. Sure, we have the ones everyone knows: “suffer a setback,” “suffer an attack (of something),” “suffer under someone,” “suffer the consequences,” and of course, Sylvester’s “Sufferin’ succotash.” But then, we have a whole host of expressions I’ve never heard of before: “Stir suffering into your soup,” “suffering by candle and quill,” “suffering in the shadows,” “suffering at the doorstep,” and “suffering counting the ceiling cracks.” That’s a lot of “new” suffering, but maybe we all need to learn something new about suffering. In Luke 9, Jesus prepares his disciples for what is ahead because what is ahead, is suffering. He says (Luke 9:23): “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and

Standing Out by Being Like Jesus

Standing Out by Being Like Jesus

This sermon is based on 1 John 2:1-6. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”

“Forgiven to Forgive”

“Forgiven to Forgive”

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37) I know, it is hard to understand. And that is why we have so many replicas that try to make sense out of it. For instance, Percy Colson said: “Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so intensely.” I guess that makes some kind of twisted sense, but if we are going in that direction, we need more. We need Isaac Friedmann who said: “Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge.” If only I knew my granting forgiveness enacted a measure of revenge upon my enemies, then I would forgive far more freely. After all, I am way more in favor of getting revenge than in forgiving and forgetting. But does it? I am not so sure. That’s why this quote from John F. Kennedy makes even

Standing Out as a Kingdom of Priests

Standing Out as a Kingdom of Priests

This sermon is based on 1 Peter 2:4-10. You can also view each week's sermon/worship service on our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ncsq_QNvCv61bIwKUpP5A SERIES OVERVIEW: What in the world convinced people back in the Roman world to abandon their beliefs and gods and come to Christ? After all, there were no immediate incentives—no promises of instant and lasting health; no promises of a life of exorbitant happiness; no promises of immediate and continued wealth and no promises of adoring popularity. There were, however, plenty of deterrents. In fact, anyone who became a Christ follower back then could expect a largely negative response from others. So, what in the world convinced them to make such a commitment? Surprisingly, it was the people in the church. And unsurprisingly, it is the same thing today. That’s what we want to explore in our new series which we are calling, “Stand Out.”